Elevator casing and close fitting adjustable feed chute



Dec. 1, 1953 s. M. MERCIER ELEVATOR CASING AND CLOSE FITTING ADJUSTABLEFEED CHUTE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Oct. 5, 1946 //v vE/vTo/Q;STANLEY M. MERGER,

ATTX

Deal, 1953 s. H; MERCIER 2,661,088

ELEVATOR CASING AND CLOSE FITTING ADJUSTABLE FEED CHUTE Original FiledOct. 5, 1946 2 Sheets-Sh et 2 I I l I II: I I: I J1 l I I" II :II :I

III I I 39 'II II I I I I 'II I I I |I I I I II /Nl/ENTO 1E; STAN LEY M.MERCIEIg .BY

ATTY.

Patented Dec. 1, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELEVATOR CASING ANDCLOSE FITTING ADJUSTABLE FEED CHUTE Stanley M. Mcrcier, Bexley, Ohio,assignor to The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, a corpora tion of OhioOriginal application October a, 1946, Serial No. 700,928. Divided andthis application January 10, 1951, Serial No. 205,380

7 Claims. (01. 198-55) This invention relates in general to housings andfeed chutes therefor, and it finds particular application in housingsand feed chutes of bucket elevators or conveyers such as are employed inticles which tend to lodge in or between them.

' Another object of the invention is to provide an improved connectingmechanism by which, for example, an elevator or conveyer housingmay beslidably connected with a feed chute or feed housing therefor and inwhich provision is made whereby abrasive materials that tend to lodgebetween and damage the connecting parts of the mechanism may be cleanedor removed from between the members by fiuid under pressure.

Other and further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, thenovel features and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of anelevator embodying features of the invention showing a portion of theguiding and supporting superstructure therefor;

Fig. 2 is a View on a larger scale of the lower portion of the elevatorseen in Fig. l; v

A Fig. 3 is a sectional elevational view on a larger scale through thefeed chute seen in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View on a larger scale, the view being taken online 44 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view, the view being taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4;and I Fig. 6 is a sectional view on a larger scale, the view being takenon line 66 of Fig. 1.

This application is a division of my co-pending application, Serial No.700,928, filed October 3, 1946, now Patent No. 2,570,363, dated October9, 1951, for a Bucket Elevator. It is to be under- :stood that theconstruction and operation of the apparatus of this application followsthat of my parent application above identified, and that only subjectmatter pertinent to the present invention is described hereinindetail. v

In Fig. 1 of the drawings there is illustrated an elevator or conveyer10 that is employed for eleas compared with when it is shut down, andpar- :ticularly in view of the fact that the casing has appreciableheight-for example, in one installaing I I, particularly along itslength.

vating or conveying upwardly hot catalyst material that is fed into theelevator housing or casing H through a feed chute or feed housing I2adjacent the bottom thereof. The catalyst flowing into the elevatorhousing or casing I l is received by buckets of a chain and bucketconveyer ap paratus, not shown, and is conveyed upwardly and dischargedfrom the housing or casing H through a discharge chute 13 at the topthereof.

The chains of the conveyer mechanism travel over, and are driven by, ahead shaft assembly including spaced wheels, not shown, that are carriedupon ashaft I5 supported on bearings 16. Shaft l 5 is driven from amotor and speed reducing drive mechanism indicated at IT. Within the;bottom of the housing or casing II there is a I floating foot shaftassembly l8 around which the chains of the conveyer travel and which issupported by the chains which travel in and are guided by guides l 4.

It may be mentioned that in the complete elevator unit the exteriorsurface of the housing or casing llincludes a layer of insulatingmaterial which has not been shown in the drawings. This high temperaturewithin the housing or casing I I when the elevator is in operation.Because of thetemperature differences which exist within the housing orcasing Ii when it is in operation,

'tion it is approximately one hundred seventy-five feet high, it isnecessary to provide for the free expansion and contraction of saidhousing or cas- The supporting or suspending mechanism for the housingor casing II is in the form of a peripheral frusto-conical petticoat,skirt or flange 19 which is located near the top of said elevator andadjacent the bottom of the head section 20 thereof. The top of the skirtI 9 is rigidly attached, as by welding, preferably around itsenterconnecting cross-beams that form a part of, or are attached to, abuilding or other independeent supporting structure. V The entire loador Weight of the casing ll, including the head section 29 of theelevator this supported by the superstructure 22 through the skirt I9and ring 2i. As a consequence of this fact, it is evident that thecasing I I, including the head section 2% is rigidly connected to theexternal supporting superstructure 22 in only one horizontal plane whichis the plane of connection of the skirt I9 and the ring 2I, andconsequently the casing ii is free to expand without strain under theconditions of varying temperature which occur particularly betweenoperating and non-operating conditions. For example, if the head section23 expands it will expand upwardly from the ring 2!. low the ring 2iexpands, it can expand downwardly therefrom since it is hanging freeexcept for its connection to skirt I9 through ring 23.

In view of the hei ht of the casing II it is desirable to provide guidemeans 23 at spaced vertica1 intervals to guide and brace said casing'ilagainst excessive lateral movement which, for example, may be caused bythe wind, since in most installations these elevators are built outdoorsand are merely supported by open frames, of which the superstructure 22is a part. Details of one of these guide or anti-sway means 23 are shownin Fig. 6 of the drawings.

The guides 23 are below the supporting skirt I9, and they are providedby forming circumferential bands or belts 24, preferably constructed ofangles, which belts 24 are rigidly attached to the casing II by welding.It may be pointed out that the casing II is preferably formed of aplurality of interconnected tubular sections which are bolted or weldedtogether by top and bottom section flanges 25.

At spaced intervals around each belt 24 are upstanding guide bars 26which are welded to the outwardly projecting legs of the angle belts 2dand which slidably extend into notches 2! formed in brackets or clips 28mounted on channel members 29 of the superstructure 22, there preferablybeing guides 23 located at 90 degree intervals around the periphery ofthe casing II adjacent each of the belts 24. It is thus evident that thebars 26 are rigidly attached to the casing I E and are free to slideupwardly and downwardly in the notches 2'! of the brackets 28 which arerigid with the superstructure 22. These guides, of course, help bracethe casing I I and prevent undesirable lateral movement or twistingthereof under atmospheric influences or under the influence of the hightemperature gases within said casing i i. It is to be noted that thereis a small space or clearance between the outer edges of the bars 26 andthe bottoms of the notches 2'! of the brackets 28 that permitsdiametrical expansion of the ca"- ing H. The above described support andguide means for the casing is claimed in my co-pending application,Serial No. 164,771, filed May 27, 1950, for a Bucket Elevator.

It may be mentioned that the elevator illustrated is employed in a hotcatalyst oil cracking system and that the conveyor mechanism of itincludes multiple compartment buckets carried between chains that conveyboth spent and regenerated catalyst, all as described in my parentapplication, Serial No. 700,928, now Patent No. 2,570,363, aboveidentified.

Attention is now directed to Figs. 2 through 5 of the drawings and tothe construction of the loading or feed chute 12. A number of problemshave to be considered in connection with the construction of this feedchute. First of all, since the casing or housing I I is subject totemperature variations, there is relative movement between it If thecasing ll beand said feed chute or housing I2 in a substantially uprightplane. In addition, the feed chute i2 is in effect three feed chutes oris a three-way or three-compartment chute, since the material flowing tothe elevator is divided into three paths by said feed chute anddelivered into three series of buckets or bucket compartments at thebottom of the elevator mechanism. In addition, individual control valvesare provided for each of the separate chutes or chute compartments.

Said chute I2 includes laterally spaced and downwardly sloping sidewalls 30 between which is a pair of partitions 3I. Adjacent their topsthe partitions 3i converge so that they split the feed pipe or conduit32 which carries the spent catalyst to divide it into two outside ways,troughs, chutes, or compartments in the multiple way feed chute I2. Thecentral compartment, trough or way of said chute i2 is fed by aregenerated catalyst pipe or conduit 33 and thus the regeneratedcatalyst flows centrally through the feed chute i2, with spent catalystflowing on both sides thereof. The troughs or compartments of feed chute52 are each provided with an individually operable control valve 34,each of which is controlled by an individual operating shaft and handle,not shown, which projects through the adjacent side of the trough. Thecentral trough of feed chute I2 is provided with an individuallycontrolled valve 35 also provided with an operating shaft and lever, notshown, that projects through one side wall of feed chute I2.

It is evident by reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings that thevalves 34 and 35 are swingable about horizontal axes provided by theiroperating shafts and that said valves may be respectively opened andclosed in variable amounts, being swingable upwardly behind stationarypartition means 36 (see Fig. 3). The bottom plate 37 of the chute i2 isprovided with three removable wear plates 38, one for each chute, saidwear plates being removable as a unit with the upper portion of saidbottom plate 3?, said bottom plate 37 being split between its ends alongthe split line 39, as seen in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The feed chute I2 also includes a vertical or upstanding frame or sealplate til which is rigidly attached to and forms a part of said chuteI2. The lower portion of the chute ways is of reduced height as comparedto the upper or feed portion, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 of thedrawings, and this lower portion projects through a frame opening '4!formed in the foot or feed section of the casing II. This lower reducedheight portion of the chute i2 is free to move upwardly and downwardlyin the opening 4| which has appreciably greater height than the adjacentheight of the feed chute I2, thus providing for relative movement of thecasing II with respect to the feed chute I2 with changing thermalconditions within casing II.

The face of the opening M is provided with an upstanding seal or slideplate 42 having an opening 43 therein comparable in dimensions to theopening 4| through which the lower portion of chute I2 projects and withwhich it has relative up and down movement. Since the seal or slideplate 42 is fixed to and moves with the casing II and the frame or sealplate lil is fixed to the chute I2, it is obvious that they will haverela tive sliding movement in an upright or vertical plane as the casingI I expands and contracts and thus moves rectilinearly upwardly anddownwardly with respect to chute I2.

To effectuate a seal for all relative positions of plates 40 and 42, theplate is provided along opposite sides'with upper and lower guidebrackets 44 (see Fig. 4) which are provided on theirinsides'with'notches 45 which receive interlocking outer edges of theplate 42. In addition, a spring-pressed seal or packing .46 is carriedin a groove around the periphery of the seal plate 40 and is pressedagainst the seal plate l2,-thus in suring an effective seal between thecasing I] and the feed chute 12 for all relative positions thereof. Inaddition, to prevent abrasive material accumulating between the twoplates 40 and 42 whichmight cause damage to .the seal 46 or cause unduewear on either of them, a blowout pipe or conduit 41, which may be"supplied with flue gas or other fluid or gas under pressure,communicates through spaced branch pipes or conduits 48;(sejev Figs; 4and 5) to a'transverse groove or conduit 4l formed adjacent the bottomof the plate and above the bottom part of seal 46. By introducing fluid,such as air, flue gas and the like into the groove 4|, abrasivematerial, such as catalyst dust, may be blown upwardly from the spacebetween said plates 40 and 42.

T o-assist in-the loading of the buckets, there is a loading plate50*(see Fig. 3) located adjacent the discharge edge of the feed chute l2which is essentially stationary with respect to casing H and is providedwith three laterally spaced elongated windows or openings, one for eachof the ways or compartments in the feed chute l2. The upper end of theloading plate 50 is rigidly connected to a bracket on the lower sectionof casing I I (see Fig. 2), and the bottom is provided with a pair ofpins 52 which extend through holes in brackets 53 attached to the bottomof the lower casing section II, there being one adjacent each side.Since there may be some different in thermal expansion of the loadingplate 50 and the casing II to which it is attached, the pins 52compensate for this by being readily slidable in the holes in brackets53, while at the same time the loading plate 50 is held essentiallyrigid with the lower section of easing ll.

Directly above the feed chute I2 is an observation window 54. Thiswindow 54 makes it possible for an operator to view the material withinthe buckets of the elevator mechanism to without disturbing theenclosing character of the casing ll.

As previously mentioned, the casing I l is made up of a plurality ofvertically superposed and attached sections removably connected togetherby top and bottom flanges and is preferably provided with insulatingmaterial on its external surface. In the form of the elevatorillustrated, the major portion of the casing II is suspended and hangsdownwardly along an upright axis from its single support adjacent thebelt 2| near its top, and it is guided at spaced intervals and heldagainst lateral swinging by the guide or anti-sway means 23 whichprovide for its free expansion and contraction.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that by this inventionthere is provided an elevator or conveyer that includes an elongatedcasing or housing supported so that it may expand freely along its axis,particularly in response to temperature changes, which is connectedslidably to a fixed feed chute or housing and that there is providedmeans for removing from between the parts that slidably connect the feedchute and elevator housing materials that would cause wear or otherwisedamage them when the housing moves with respect to the feed chute.

It will, of course, also be seen that there is providedby thisinventions; simple and effective seal or connector mechanism forconnecting .two casings or housings so that one may move with respect tothe other and which connector mechanism may be readily cleared orcleaned of abrasive materials which would cause wear or scratching ofthe parts of the connecting mechanism.

Obviously those. skilledin the art may make various changes in thedetails and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention .as defined by the claims heretoappended, andapplicant therefore wishes not to be restricted to the preciseconstruction herein discloseda V V l Having thus described and shown anembodiment of the invention, what it is desired-to secure by LettersPatent of the United States is: 5 -1.--An elevator for hot materialincluding an longatedupstanding casing, means supporting said casingadjacent its top-with substantially the entire'casing hanging downwardlytherefrom and suspended thereby, anendless elevator conveyer within saidcasing, a stationary feed chute 1 for "said conveyer including a chuteextending into said casing near its bottom, means providing for verticalmovement of said casing relative to said chute including a pair ofrelatively slidable frames, one connected rigidly to said chute, theother connected rigidly to said casing, a spring pressed seal betweensaid frames, and conduit means for conducting fluid under pressurebetween said frames whereby material may be blown from between them.

2. An elevator for hot material including an elongated upstandingcasing, means supporting said casing adjacent its top with substantiallythe entire casing hanging downwardly therefrom and suspended thereby, anendless elevator conveyer within said casing, a stationary feed chutefor said conveyer including a chute extending into said casing near itsbottom, means providing for vertical movement of said casing relative tosaid chute including a pair of relatively slidable frames, one connectedrigidly to said chute, the other connected rigidly to said casing, and aspring pressed seal between said frames.

3. An elevator including an upstanding casing, means supporting saidcasing adjacent its top with the casing hanging downwardly therefrom andsuspended thereby, an endless elevator conveyer within said casing, afeed chute for said conveyer including a chute extending into saidcasing near its bottom, means providing for relative vertical movementof said casing and feed chute including a pair of relatively slidableframes, one connected rigidly to said chute, the other connected rigidlyto said casing, seal means between said frames, and conduit means forconducting fluid under pressure between said frames whereby material may'be blown from between them.

4. An elevator including an upstanding casing, means supporting saidcasing adjacent its top with the casing hanging downwardly therefrom andsuspended thereby, an endless elevator conveyer within said casing, afeed chute for said conveyer including a chute extending into saidcasing near its bottom, means providing for relative vertical movementof said casing and feed chute including a pair of relatively slidableframes, one connected rigidly to said chute, the other connected rigidlyto said casing, and seal means between said frames.

ace 1, 688" r 5. In apparatus of the" class described, the combinationof a. casing,' of achute extending into said casing, means providing forrelative movement between said'chute and casing including a pair ofrelatively slidable frames, one connected rigidly to said chute, theother connected rigidly to said casing, a'spring pressed seal betweensaid frames, and fluid means for blowing solid fine material frombetween said frames to prevent scratching thereof. j

6. A feed mechanism adapted to be connected slidably to a casing havinga feed opening there in whereby said casing may-move with respect tosaid feed mechanism, said feed mechanism 111- eluding slide frame meansadapted to be carried. by the casing in association with said feedopenmg therein, a feed chute adapted to feed material into said casingthrough said opening, seal frame means carried by said feed chuteadapted to cooperate with said slide frame means, seal means betweensaid slide frame means and said frame means, and conduit means forconducting fluid under pressure between said slide frame means and saidseal frame means whereby material may be blown from between them.

5' 7, A feed mechani sm adapted to be connected slidably to a casinghaving a feed opening therein' whereby saidcasing may move with respectto said feed mechanism, said feed mechanism includingslide frame meansadapted to be carried by the casing in association with said feedopening therein, a feed chute adapted to feed material into said casingthrough said opening, seal frame means carried by said feed chuteadapted to cooperate with said slide frame means, and conduit means forconducting fluid under pressure between said slide frame means and saidseal frame means whereby material may be blown from between them.

-- I-YSTANLEY M. 'MERCIER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 573,913 Patterson et al. Dec. 29, 1896 783,129 7 Paterson Feb.21, 1905 1,064,443 Chadwick June 10, 1913 2,360,345 Hilkemeier Oct, 17,1944 2,444,211 Wager June 29, 1948

